You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 182

You Have Been Defended (1)

Usually, when you open the door to the prosecutor’s office and peek in, the clerk asks what brings you there.

Of course, in the case of suspects, they check their faces in advance during the investigation process, but there are many cases where the actual person differs from what they expected.

Unless it’s the supervising prosecutor, there’s only one prosecutor in a room, and the summons states the time, so you might think they’d recognize you right away when you enter the prosecutor’s office, but the reality is a bit different.

Surprisingly, quite a few people don’t keep the time written on the summons.

Whether they come early or late.

But today, the clerk immediately asked Jo Bong-joon, “Are you Mr. Jo Bong-joon?”

Her gaze was fixed on me.

The deputy director said earlier that the news had spread that I was in charge of this case, so it seemed she recognized me because of that.

“The prosecutor is away for a moment. He’ll be back soon. Please sit here and wait.”

The clerk guided us to the chairs in front of the prosecutor’s desk and then busily started moving again.

It seemed like the cases had just been assigned, as the clerk was taking thick documents out of a cart that looked like it belonged in a supermarket and placing them on the desk.

Whenever those clerks opened the door to the prosecutor’s office with a cart, groans could be heard from every room.

I was one of those who sighed too.

Just as I was indulging in past memories, the door to the prosecutor’s office opened, and the prosecutor came in.

“Ah, Mr. Jo Bong-joon?”

Jung Chang-yoon fixed his gaze on Jo Bong-joon and sat down at his desk.

I could faintly smell cigarette smoke on him.

Seeing the same smell on the investigator who followed him in, it seemed like they had taken a break for a while.

The time to appear at the prosecutor’s office was on the hour, but he was 10 minutes late to smoke a cigarette.

Should I interpret this as the prosecutor’s authoritarianism, or should I say that a sense of entitlement, thinking that prosecutors can be a little late too, was at play?

“Mr. Jo Bong-joon. In addition to the previously notified dissemination of false information, you have been additionally sued for obstruction of business. Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical has requested a merger of the cases, so that’s how it’s proceeding. Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical claims to have suffered considerable damage due to your statements on the radio news program and your personal internet broadcasts.”

Jung Chang-yoon pushed up his rimless glasses and recited in a businesslike tone.

After that, the usual formal procedures and questions and answers took place.

“There’s also a way to request a settlement, but it doesn’t seem like Mr. Jo Bong-joon has done that?”

“No, I have no intention of settling separately.”

“Hmm. The fact that the case has been handed over to the prosecution means that it has been determined that there seems to be a basis for suspicion. As you’ve already heard since you came with a lawyer, criminal punishment is possible. This isn’t a typical dispute between small business owners, but a direct lawsuit from a listed company headquarters. If the charges are recognized and you are indicted, you may have to go through a civil lawsuit as well. In that case, the amount of damages Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical will claim will be astronomical.”

His words were long, but he only meant one thing: Don’t be stubborn and settle.

When Jo Bong-joon didn’t answer, Jung Chang-yoon raised his head and glanced at Jo Bong-joon.

It felt like he was pressing for an answer.

Only then did Jo Bong-joon answer.

“I know.”

Jung Chang-yoon tilted his head as if dissatisfied with the answer and placed his hand on the mouse.

For a long time, the sound of flipping papers and typing on the keyboard echoed in the quiet prosecutor’s office.

Even among prosecutors, just as people have different personalities, each prosecutor’s attitude toward the suspect is also different.

Some approach with friendliness to induce confession or settlement, some sternly scold, and some, like Jung Chang-yoon, maintain an extremely businesslike attitude.

I quietly watched Jung Chang-yoon.

I couldn’t read anything from his expressionless face, which didn’t reveal any emotion, and his eyes, which were constantly reading documents.

But that doesn’t mean I can assume that Jung Chang-yoon is a neutral prosecutor.

Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical must have already submitted various materials, but even though it’s been 30 minutes since we came to the prosecutor’s office, he hasn’t even asked, “Do you have anything to bring?”

“Prosecutor. Among the elements of obstruction of business, the one that applies to Mr. Jo Bong-joon is the dissemination of false information. This is connected to the charge of defamation through the dissemination of false information.”

After the silence, I opened my mouth.

“Yes, so?”

“If we prove that it’s not false information, the charge of obstruction of business should be dismissed, and the defamation should also be changed to a statement of fact.”

Jung Chang-yoon turned his gaze from the monitor to look at me.

“That’s a matter for the prosecutor to decide. So, did you bring any supporting materials?”

If he had conducted the interrogation properly from the beginning, I wouldn’t have had to open my mouth first.

Instead of answering, I took out a few files from my briefcase.

“The false information that Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical claims Mr. Jo Bong-joon disseminated, to put it briefly, is that Antrozol Alpha,”

“Has significant side effects. Let’s skip the things we all know and get straight to the point. As the lawyer knows, we’re busy people.”

I’m busy too.

I can already sense his carelessness, wanting to handle the case sloppily.

“However, if you look at the materials I just gave you, you can confirm that Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical was already aware that there was a problem with the American research institution that was commissioned to conduct the research before the KFDA [Korean Food and Drug Administration] review. This is one of the facts that Mr. Jo Bong-joon disclosed, which Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical claimed. In other words, that means it’s not false information.”

This is one of the materials that Kim Chan-young secured through his uncle.

Until now, it was an issue that Jo Bong-joon had only mentioned based on his gut feeling, without any physical evidence.

“Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical didn’t claim that there was no problem with the American research institution. What does this material prove? It may be one of the false facts that Mr. Jo Bong-joon disseminated, but the ultimate false fact is that there is a problem with Antrozol Alpha. Shall we just talk about the main point?”

That damn main point, main point.

“As a result of confirming the data requested by the prosecution from the KFDA, there were no problems in the clinical trials either,”

“The KFDA is not a machine. The KFDA can also make mistakes. In addition, the KFDA has also taken the position that there is no problem with the approval by citing the problematic Hyzolam research from the American research institution. And now, civic groups are also requesting administrative 심판 [simpan – administrative appeal/judgment] regarding the KFDA’s approval of Antrozol Alpha. That means it hasn’t been confirmed that there are no problems by the KFDA.”

“Haa… Lawyer. Don’t interrupt me.”

It seems like it’s authoritarianism.

It’s a childish power play to make me aware that I can interrupt, but you can’t.

“Now, it’s already a revealed fact that Mr. Jo Bong-joon made statements based on mere speculation without clear evidence. It can be accepted that he didn’t just raise suspicions, but he made it a fait accompli [an irreversible action]. That’s why I’m telling you to settle.”

“It’s just an emphasis, not a fait accompli. He raised suspicions that there is a considerable possibility, and he expressed the need to conduct an investigation into this.”

“Lawyer. Mr. Jo Bong-joon is here to be investigated for defamation and obstruction of business. If you want to argue that the investigation was insufficient, you should do it elsewhere. And it has been confirmed that you have inspected and copied the materials submitted by Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical, so Mr. Jo Bong-joon must have checked them too, right?”

The inspection and copying of the materials took place immediately after the summons was issued.

It was a natural thing to do since I had to check the procedure of how the case was filed.

It mostly contained a summary of the facts that Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical had been damaged.

It was a report that the stock price and corporate image had declined, and even the sales of other drugs developed by Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical had decreased.

Of course, that wasn’t all there was.

“Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical claimed that because they directly sent researchers to participate in and supervise the research, there was no problem with the research on Hyzolam. Therefore, the material you gave me earlier, proving that Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical was aware that there was a problem with the research institution before entering the clinical trials of Antrozol Alpha, is not very meaningful.”

“Let’s look at the material to the end. The file below is a report on researcher Lee Joon-sung, who Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical sent. When compared to the research results announced in the United States, researcher Lee Joon-sung was dispatched not for the purpose of supervision, but for the purpose of technology import, in the form of an observation. The fact that researcher Lee Joon-sung was dispatched does not prove at all that there was no problem with the Hyzolam research.”

At my words, Jung Chang-yoon took out the next file and looked through it.

After reading the documents for a long time, he soon closed the file.

It means he wants to end the investigation now.

I came to be investigated, but I felt like I was in a trial.

The prosecutor has no intention of properly grasping the facts and is just saying the word settlement in a long, roundabout way.

I don’t know if it’s Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical or Jung Chang-yoon who wants to settle.

But I even think it would be better if he was doing this under the orders of Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical.

If the prosecutor’s attitude is like, ‘It seems like there’s no problem with Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical, so you should stop and just settle,’ he may dismiss the case without indictment and close the case before we even do our main goal of fact-checking.

In that case, Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical will file a civil lawsuit or try to silence Jo Bong-joon in a more vile way.

It doesn’t seem to make much sense to spend time here today.

First, I need to find out more about Jung Chang-yoon.

What he ultimately wants.

“It’s a natural story, but our country is a country where freedom of expression is respected. Mr. Jo Bong-joon is not a reporter, but he announced the research results in a way that is equivalent to a reporter. Mr. Jo Bong-joon has nothing to gain from it at all. And Mr. Jo Bong-joon was already famous for counseling and helping people with his knowledge on the stock bulletin board where he first posted about Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical. This work can also be seen as an extension of such actions. It’s for the public good.”

Since the suspect can’t come to the prosecutor’s office and not make a claim of innocence, I finished it appropriately.

Since we are in a position where fact-checking is more important than a dismissal of charges, I didn’t bother to give a long speech.

“I understand what you’re saying. I’ll contact you if necessary. If you have any additional materials to submit, please submit them. I’ll refer to them along with the materials you gave me today. Then I’ll end the investigation.”

Jung Chang-yoon quickly wrapped things up.

Jo Bong-joon bowed to him, and we left the prosecutor’s office together.

“Shibal [Korean slang, similar to ‘shit’], that prosecutor bastard is really frustrating. I wanted to overturn everything, but Lawyer Cha told me to shut up, so I don’t know how hard it was to endure. I think I pinched my thigh about 30,000 times.”

As soon as he got in the car, Jo Bong-joon shouted, stomping his feet irritably.

“That damn settlement, settlement. Didn’t Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical slip that bastard an envelope to induce a settlement?”

“It would be better if that were the case.”

“…Could it be more frustrating than that?”

“The most frustrating case is when the prosecutor wants to settle the case quickly because it’s complicated.”

“Shibal, that’s right. If I settle with Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical, it’s like saying I won’t do anything crazy in the future. Then what, do I have to quit broadcasting?”

I shook my head.

“It doesn’t matter if you settle and continue as before. You can’t sue twice for the same reason. But Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical hasn’t filed a lawsuit for damages yet. They’re probably waiting to see the results of the criminal case before filing. If you continue to post articles on the internet even after a fake settlement, they will file a civil lawsuit.”

“Ha, civil lawsuit… Isn’t it okay to just do it?”

“No. A civil lawsuit is a time-consuming and tedious battle. The amount of the civil lawsuit will be enormous, so you can’t help but prepare for it.”

“You can win the civil lawsuit and prove Myung-Hwa Pharmaceutical’s trickery.”

“If a civil lawsuit starts, it will take several years. In the meantime, the public will lose interest. That’s just Plan B. We need to finish this cleanly this time.”

“The prosecutor is acting like that, so there’s no way. There’s no way.”

“We need to find decisive evidence. Evidence that even that prosecutor can’t ignore.”